Renewable Energies A Health Benefit?

We need power to thrive as a progressive nation. And in everything we do, even at home, we use energy when we eat, sleep, work and play. Energy powers your microwave, cell phone, alarm, tv, everything. But do you know the source of the energy that powers your daily life?

The energy that most households currently use is produced through fossil fuels; oil, natural gas, coal. The downside to fossil fuel is that we will eventually run out, and the combustion required to generate energy from this material causes greenhouse gases and air pollutants that are detrimental to Earth and our health.

Harm to our planet from pollution can come in the form of high toxicity waters, acid rain, ozone depletion, and more. Likewise, negative health effects from pollution can encompass increased risk for cardiovascular disease, asthma, and respiratory illnesses. Fossil fuels are also, by nature, combustible. This leads to the risk of explosions and accident-related fatalities for people working in these facilities.

“The energy sector remains one of the most dangerous industries for US workers. A transition to renewable energy generation utilizing sources such as wind and solar could potentially eliminate 1300 worker deaths over the coming decade,” says Dr. Steven Sumner, M.D, an internal medicine resident at Duke University.

This is the reason the government and public leaders are encouraging the transition to renewable energies, like solar and wind energy. Solar power has the potential to provide the same volume of power output as fossil fuels, but without the byproduct of pollution, with fewer workplace injuries and deaths, and greater health advantages for humanity.